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(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee rejected an amendment offered by House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-NY) to provide tax relief to renters in Queens, the Bronx, and across the country.

Chairman Crowley’s amendment would have created a tax credit to help “rent-burdened” Americans – those who pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent – and a refundable tax credit to assist financially-struggling families living in government-subsidized rental housing.

“Republicans have abandoned middle-class families to provide lavish benefits to special interests with their scam of a tax bill. Renters in Queens, the Bronx, and across the country, are feeling squeezed financially and this amendment would have provided real relief to middle-class families,” said Crowley. “By rejecting my common-sense amendment, House Republicans continue to put hardworking Americans last.”

Earlier this year, Crowley introduced The Rent Relief Act, federal legislation that mirrors the amendment offered today. This bill would help rent-burdened Americans balance the needs of their families with the burden of increasingly unaffordable housing markets. Throughout the United States, 111 million Americans live in rental housing. In New York City, nearly two-thirds of all households are occupied by renters – twice the national average.

Under Crowley’s bill, qualified individuals who live in rental housing as their primary residence and pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent would be eligible for a refundable tax credit. Individuals who live in government-subsidized rental housing could claim the value of one month’s rent as a refundable tax credit.

Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee also rejected another dozen commonsense amendments that would have restored critical provisions that benefit middle-class families, including ensuring New Yorkers can continue to deduct state and local taxes, student loan interest payments, and medical expenses.